Choosing a Sign

Is it an indoor or an outdoor application?

LED displays are specifically designed for either indoor or outdoor use. Two main factors determine whether a display can be used indoors or outdoors. The first factor is weather durability Outdoor displays are designed to work in extreme weather conditions while indoor displays are not built to stand up to the same environmental factors. Second, outdoor displays use different LED’s than indoor displays. The LEDs used for outdoor displays are brighter to account for the varying lighting conditions. Indoor displays do not have the same concerns and subsequently are not as bright.

What message content is needed?

Your communication needs may factor into your decision of which display is right for your application. Evaluate how you plan to use the sign by asking yourself questions like:

• Is color needed in the messages or is monochrome sufficient?
• Will the display show graphics as well as text?
• Will the display show video images?
• How many lines of copy will you want displayed at one time?
• What type of messages will be communicated to the intended audience?

The answers to these questions will help you make your choice. They also reflect decisions that can increase or decrease the cost of your LED display. For example, a full color display is more expensive than a monochrome display.

Communication Method?

There are many different ways to communicate with your LED display. Understanding the requirements of the display in this regard will help in choosing the right technology for your application. Some installations may have specific requirements. Speak with a Hyperion dealer or sales representative to find out which option will work best for you.

Learn More on our Communication Methods page.

Where will the viewing audience be?

The distance between your sign and its viewers is the key factor in determining the best LED sign for your application. Consider two things about why it is crucial to choose a display based on where it will be located in relations to its audience. First, the distance from the viewer to the display will affect the minimum and maximum viewing distances. Second, the viewing distance also impacts the resolution or pitch. 

Viewing Distance Chart

The graphic to the right demonstrates viewing distances and the recommended Hyperion or 4U2SEE Electronic Message Center for the indicated distance. While larger text can be used to dramatize a point, the specifications show the minimum size to allow the selected audience to comprehend what is being presented on the Electro-Matic Products Electronic Message Center.

Character Size

The distance from the sign to the viewers factors into determining the actual physical size of the sign. The farther the viewer is from the sign, the larger the letters need to be in order to be readable. Large letters can mean a larger sign. The general rule of thumb in determining the appropriate size for your sign is you need 1 inch for every 50 feet of viewing distance. For example, if you were traveling 60 MPH on a freeway, and the sign is 500 feet away at a gas station, the text letters would need to be at least 10 inches tall to be legible. Likewise, if you are standing 100 feet away from a sign at street level, the letters only need to be 2 inches tall to be legible.

Pitch

Longer distances require less resolution, and shorter distances require higher. Resolution, also known as pitch, plays a key role in the cost of your sign. The higher the resolution, the more expensive the sign. Pitch is the distance (usually in millimeters) between pixels. Pitch is always measured from the center of one diode to the center of another diode. The smaller the pitch number, the higher the resolution quality. Larger pitch numbers indicate a lower resolution. A pixel can be one single diode or a pixel can consist of a cluster of diode

s running off the same circuit. Certain pitches are better for certain distances. For example, a sign off a freeway that will only be viewed from far away only needs a low resolution because of the distance from which it is being viewed. A sign viewed from street level, such as one in front of a school, would want a higher resolution because it will be viewed from a shorter distance.

Pitch comparison chart

The distance you stand from the sign will impact how the sign looks. The higher the pitch, the farther you will want to stand away from the sign to view it. The smaller the pitch, the closer you can stand to the sign and still read the message on the sign.

Note: All examples are the view from less than 5ft. away

Viewing Angle

With Electro-Matic Products' line of displays, one factor is a good, constant viewing angle. For all the Hyperion® Displays, the viewing angle is 150 degrees (75 degrees each way off center). This means as the target audience draws closer to the display, it is still readable and increases viewing time.

The typical viewing angle of electronic message centers is 90°, but our Hyperion® line of displays has a 150° viewing angle.

Viewing Time

Also to be considered, is your target audience moving? This introduces a viewing time element. The size of characters, the viewing angle of the display, and the speed of the target audience all translate into one important element - “TIME” have you allowed your target audience to read and comprehend your message?

Experience has shown that it requires an average of 5 seconds of time to read and comprehend ten characters of text. The following chart shows the maximum viewing time a potential target audience would have to view a message based on their speed of travel and the size of the characters used. Take notice of the shaded areas for the optimal viewing time based on the number of characters to be read by the target audience.

Viewing Distance Versus Time Chart

PLEASE NOTE:
Scrolling or rolling text will require longer times for the target audience to comprehend and is not recommended for moving audiences.

Also in that regard, in and out modes that take a long time also increase the comprehension times and should be avoided. If the electronic message centers have too much content, the reader will not have enough time to comprehend the message content.